Not buying this longer season excuse. Its a 34 less game season. This is not a real NHL season. If he's falling off now, how can one expect him not to completely fall off 50 -82 games next season? I mean, he hit the 10 goal mark like a month and a half ago. No one else (minus Datsyuk) has scored more than 10 goals 36 games into the season? This team is pathetic offensively and will continue to get worse with guys like Sammy and either more washed up veterans or small skilled euros that don't have the size,strength, or drive to get anywhere near the middle of the ice let alone the front of the net. Instead, we're wasting valuable roster spots by putting our "grinders" out on top lines to do no more than stand in front of the net (net front presence) not making any sort of cycle or sustained offensive pressure possible. Keep the centers, Datsyuk, Helm, Andersson. And keep Fil only if he centers a line with Z as his wing (still confident they would both benefit from a switch back to their natural positions) Everyone else is expendable. This should be now or never with Nyquist and Tatar, but judging by the minimal opportunities they are getting, I'm leaning more towards never. Let them play or get some draft picks out of them and restart the process with players better fit for the daily NHL grind. One can only patch so many holes before the entire foundation gives out.

We should add another top pairing defensemen because outside of Smith, (hopefully) Dekeyser, and Kronwall...its all mediocrity at best. But, after that, let the D grow on its own. The offense should be the main concern (from a fan's standpoint) now moving forward...and by main concern, i mean red alert! mayday! mayday!

you know he played like 33 games overseas before the lockout ended right?

Not buying this longer season excuse. Its a 34 less game season. This is not a real NHL season. If he's falling off now, how can one expect him not to completely fall off 50 -82 games next season? I mean, he hit the 10 goal mark like a month and a half ago. No one else (minus Datsyuk) has scored more than 10 goals 36 games into the season? This team is pathetic offensively and will continue to get worse with guys like Sammy and either more washed up veterans or small skilled euros that don't have the size,strength, or drive to get anywhere near the middle of the ice let alone the front of the net. Instead, we're wasting valuable roster spots by putting our "grinders" out on top lines to do no more than stand in front of the net (net front presence) not making any sort of cycle or sustained offensive pressure possible. Keep the centers, Datsyuk, Helm, Andersson. And keep Fil only if he centers a line with Z as his wing (still confident they would both benefit from a switch back to their natural positions) Everyone else is expendable. This should be now or never with Nyquist and Tatar, but judging by the minimal opportunities they are getting, I'm leaning more towards never. Let them play or get some draft picks out of them and restart the process with players better fit for the daily NHL grind. One can only patch so many holes before the entire foundation gives out.

We should add another top pairing defensemen because outside of Smith, (hopefully) Dekeyser, and Kronwall...its all mediocrity at best. But, after that, let the D grow on its own. The offense should be the main concern (from a fan's standpoint) now moving forward...and by main concern, i mean red alert! mayday! mayday!

I guess the 33 games in NLA count for nothing. He's played 65 games this year, almost half being an insane schedule due to an NHL lock out. Of course the man is going to be tired..

I think the travel has more to do with it than anything. Mickey Redmond commented on this a few weeks ago. I think Brunner told him the farthest he had to travel to a road game was less than an hour. They don't have to deal with the drastic time zone changes either in the Swiss League. I know everyone thinks it's easy and oh, they get paid a lot, so they should just suck it up, but try flying all night, losing 3 hours, sleeping in a strange place, then having to play in a hockey game. I think it's far more difficult than it appears.

He was an unknown commodity with no NHL experience when the season began. He scored a few goals early off, had a highlight reel shootout experience, and a few weeks later he's among the lead leaders in goals. Suddenly, teams stopped treating him like a soft Euro and started taking away his time and space. He's more tightly covered whilst sneaking into the slot from the soft-side. Defense are on him much quicker and harder in the corners, and while Brunner can mentally adjust to North American hockey, it will be a slower process to build up the physical strength to be able to fight through the coverage that he is now experiencing.

Secondly, Brunner has really focused hard on playing a more defensively sound game. He is back-checking much more effectively than when the season began, and he's playing much deeper in our own zone instead of floating at the blueline waiting for a breakout. He has also been more conscious of opponent's breakout potentials and is adjusting his game in the offensive zone to accommodate this. His new-found defensive responsibilities are also going to lower his offensive output.

Combined with the brutal North American schedule and travel, its no surprise at all why Brunner has suddenly gone quiet. He's with good role models though, and I suspect that he will be able to overcome the schedule and the added defensive attention he has over the next few years. Given his commitment to learning the defensive side of the game, and how far he has come already, I'd say the guy is willing to do whatever it takes to be successful at this level. Lets hope my assumption is correct.

Am I among the minority in this thinking - this 'slump' lowers his cost of services. We have the chance of getting him re-signed at a reduced cost because other than the hot start, he hasn't done much.

"Sorry kid, we can't pay that much for potential in this league. We pay for results. Unless it's the trade deadline, then most GMs overpay for everything."

Most nights, my posts are brought to you by some sort of IPA and a heaping dose of sarcasm.Success has a thousand fathers, failure is an orphan.
We not score, is hard to win. - Pavel Datsyuk #13

Not playing in the AHL hurt him. Yeah, forming some chemistry with Z playing in Switzerland was huge, but it doesn't seem to be enough to carry him to playoff time. Maybe he will get a second wind then, lets hope.

On the outside chance that the Wings don't make the playoffs, do you send Brunner to GR for their playoffs?

I don't think he's playing bad at all. He's not getting goals, but who is? And he's on the 3rd line while Abdelkader plays with our best playmaker. Brunner is skating well, doing much better defensively than he was early on, and he's pretty involved offensively. If players like Ovechkin can go through long goalscoring droughts then so can Brunner. But we can't rely on him alone to score all our goals.

Not buying this longer season excuse. Its a 34 less game season. This is not a real NHL season. If he's falling off now, how can one expect him not to completely fall off 50 -82 games next season? I mean, he hit the 10 goal mark like a month and a half ago. No one else (minus Datsyuk) has scored more than 10 goals 36 games into the season? This team is pathetic offensively and will continue to get worse with guys like Sammy and either more washed up veterans or small skilled euros that don't have the size,strength, or drive to get anywhere near the middle of the ice let alone the front of the net. Instead, we're wasting valuable roster spots by putting our "grinders" out on top lines to do no more than stand in front of the net (net front presence) not making any sort of cycle or sustained offensive pressure possible. Keep the centers, Datsyuk, Helm, Andersson. And keep Fil only if he centers a line with Z as his wing (still confident they would both benefit from a switch back to their natural positions) Everyone else is expendable. This should be now or never with Nyquist and Tatar, but judging by the minimal opportunities they are getting, I'm leaning more towards never. Let them play or get some draft picks out of them and restart the process with players better fit for the daily NHL grind. One can only patch so many holes before the entire foundation gives out.

We should add another top pairing defensemen because outside of Smith, (hopefully) Dekeyser, and Kronwall...its all mediocrity at best. But, after that, let the D grow on its own. The offense should be the main concern (from a fan's standpoint) now moving forward...and by main concern, i mean red alert! mayday! mayday!

Not buying this longer season excuse. Its a 34 less game season. This is not a real NHL season. If he's falling off now, how can one expect him not to completely fall off 50 -82 games next season? I mean, he hit the 10 goal mark like a month and a half ago. No one else (minus Datsyuk) has scored more than 10 goals 36 games into the season? This team is pathetic offensively and will continue to get worse with guys like Sammy and either more washed up veterans or small skilled euros that don't have the size,strength, or drive to get anywhere near the middle of the ice let alone the front of the net. Instead, we're wasting valuable roster spots by putting our "grinders" out on top lines to do no more than stand in front of the net (net front presence) not making any sort of cycle or sustained offensive pressure possible. Keep the centers, Datsyuk, Helm, Andersson. And keep Fil only if he centers a line with Z as his wing (still confident they would both benefit from a switch back to their natural positions) Everyone else is expendable. This should be now or never with Nyquist and Tatar, but judging by the minimal opportunities they are getting, I'm leaning more towards never. Let them play or get some draft picks out of them and restart the process with players better fit for the daily NHL grind. One can only patch so many holes before the entire foundation gives out.

We should add another top pairing defensemen because outside of Smith, (hopefully) Dekeyser, and Kronwall...its all mediocrity at best. But, after that, let the D grow on its own. The offense should be the main concern (from a fan's standpoint) now moving forward...and by main concern, i mean red alert! mayday! mayday!

umm....Brunner is not in a 34 game season. his season started 0n august 3rd 2012. if he had stayed in in Switzerland, his season would be over in about 2 weeks (providing Zug wins todays game seven in semifinals

I don't think he's playing bad at all. He's not getting goals, but who is? And he's on the 3rd line while Abdelkader plays with our best playmaker. Brunner is skating well, doing much better defensively than he was early on, and he's pretty involved offensively. If players like Ovechkin can go through long goalscoring droughts then so can Brunner. But we can't rely on him alone to score all our goals.

This! From what I've seen brunner is working his *** off! At least he's putting an effort in unlike some players up front. Guy should be datsyuk's trigger man right now! Wasting him on the 3rd line

Brunner averages just over 40 games a season in Switzerland against greatly inferior competition. Prior to coming over to the NHL, he played his 2nd highest games total as a pro, 45. On top of that, he has already played 34 games in the NHL. Grand total of almost 80 games for a guy used to 40. Fact in the physical nature of the NHL game, compressed schedule, and travel, it's no wonder he fell off.

At least he is showing consistent effort despite fatigue and frustration. He'll be better next season.

he has more goals and points then Franzen and Filppula, 4th most points on the team, and all that for 1.35 million... I will take it.

Me too ever since Crosby and Ovechkin have come to this league and run up the score-sheet people are expecting way too much from rookies, these days. Even Stamkos was labeled a bust because he didn't light it up in his first year...